Bowdoin College Museum of Art | - Africa, from The Four Continents

Preview image of work. engraving on paper, Africa, from The Four Continents 11937

1994.10.336

Recommend keywords

Help us make our collections more accessible by providing keywords to describe this artwork. The BCMA uses the Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus to provide consistent keywords. Enter a keyword in the field below and you will be prompted with a list of possible matching AAT preferred terms.

Africa, from The Four Continents

Export record as: Plain text | JSON | CDWA-Lite | VRA Core 4

Artists

Claes Jansz. Visscher (Piscator) (1587 – 1652); [after Cornelis van Dalen the Younger]

Title

Africa, from The Four Continents

Creation Date

ca. 1950

Century

mid 16th-early 17th century

Dimensions

8 7/8 in. x 6 9/16 in. (22.5 cm. x 16.7 cm.)

Object Type

Creation Place

Europe, Netherlands

Medium and Support

engraving on paper

Credit Line

Gift of David P. Becker, Class of 1970

Copyright

Public Domain

Accession Number

1994.10.336

Personifications of the Four Continents became widely popular in European art throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and appeared in a variety of media. These allegories varied greatly depending on their context, illustrated by Pieter Van de Aa’s Nova Orbis Terraquei Tabula Accuratissime Delineata, on view nearby. In Visscher’s engraving, the allegorical figures are in various states of despair, mourning the death of Portuguese prince Theodosius III (d. 1653). Broken weaponry and armor connect these scenes, suggesting the continuous battles for military power among these competing empires. These personifications also reveal European sentiments about each continent. Africa, flanked by two lions, despondently gestures toward the heavens, as if seeking help from outside sources. America, partially clothed with a feather headdress, carries a broken bow and arrows. The inclusion of weaponry reminds us of Indigenous and Europeans’ vicious fight for control over the New World’s land and resources. As if to emphasize this, various goods are placed at America’s feet, signaling the bounty of resources to be found in there.

Additional Media